Storage battery transporting cart



1953 A. E. MARQUARDT STORAGE BATTERY TRANSPORTING CART Filed Sept. 20,1950 5; 4 2.0 w: 2.2. 12% H i I 2.9 c i Patented Jan. 27, 1953 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE STORAGE BATTERY TRAN SPORTING CART Alfred E.Marquardt, Oconto Falls, Wis.

Application September 20, 1950, Serial No. 185,735

1 Claim. (01. 136-181) 1 My present invention relates generally toimprovements in the art of transporting and utilizing storage batteries,and relates more particularly to improvements in the construction and kthe cart.

Another specific object of this invention is to provide an improvedstorage battery transporting and vehicle starting device which isextremely maneuverable and flexible in its adaptations, and

operation of wheeled battery cart having current 5 which comprisesrelatively few parts capable of conducting means associated therewith.ready assembly and dismantling with the aid of A primary object of thepresent invention is to ordinary tools. provide an improved new anduseful battery Another specific object of my invention i to transportingcart which is extremely simple, provide an improved new and usefulwheeled batdurable and compact in construction and which tomtransporting device which is adapted for use is moreover highlyefficient and practical in opin garages, repair p d u ed car lots for dfacilitating engine starting with minimum effort In the garage business,it is frequently necesby unskilled pe ns, and which may furthersary tostart automobiles and trucks or the like, more be produced in largequantities at low cost having dead batteries which may be caused by fromavailable materials. one reason or another. In some cases, the stalledAn additional specific object of my present invehicle is right in thegarage or repair shop; and vention is to provide an improved wheel supinothers, it may be at some remote point as in ported battery transportingcart Which possesses a street or parking lot which requires a service ahigh degree of Stabi ity and balance and is call. Likewise, it is commonpractice in the used r ily m p l by a single p n v r varcar business tohave to start automobiles and ious types o r in, and which moreoveremtrucks which have been standing for varying pebodies simple and novelcurrent conducting riods of time on the used car lot and either havmeansadapted to be quickly and easily connected ing no battery at all or abattery which does not to t e St rti g circuit in a battery startedvehave sufiicient energy left to start the engine. In hicle. such cases,it has long been customary to either A further specific object of thepresent invenpush or tow the vehicle to effect starting or to tion s top d an p ed a te y transp actually install a good battery therein. Intowand engine starting device which may be ing or pushing the car, twopersons are required, manipulated with maximum safety to the user, onefor each vehicle; and even with the exercise and in which themanipulating handle i provided of extreme care, damage is sometimescaused to with insulated current conducting means adapted the bumper orfenders of one or the other of the to reduce e qu ed a e e gth to aminimum vehicles or to the transmission gears of the car Withoutdetrimentally affecting e her the eflibeing started. When a good batteryis installed ieney of the unit or the flexibility thereof. for startingpurposes, considerable time and Still another specific object of thepresent ineffort by the mechanic is required in first removv ntion is top v d a at ry a t mpris a ing the old battery and thereafter carrying anew a y receiving a d supp r m r, transheavy battery to the vehicle,lifting the same over porting Wheels associated With the member, a thecar or truck fender for positioning under the manipulating handle formedof insulating matehood, and finally connecting and clamping the rial andp oje t pwardly from th member, battery in place in the confinedquarters. and a Pai f elongated current conducting ele- It is thereforea more specific object of my ments secured to the handle in spacedrelationpresent invention to provide an improved storage sh p, each ofthe elements having fi ible conducbattery transporting cart whichobviates all of tors at opposite ends thereof adapted to be conthedisadvantages and objections heretofore e d r p y o a battery carried bythe present in prior methods and practices of startreceiving d pp gmember and to the ing vehicles stalled by reason of battery trouble.starting circuit of an internal combustion engine. Another specificobject of the invention is to These and other Sp fi o jects andadvanprovide an improved Wheeled battery cart by tages of the inventionwill be apparent from the means which a storage battery may be readilyfollowing detailed description. transported by one person to a stalledvehicle A clear conception of the several features conand quickly andeasily operatively connected to stituting the present improvement, andof the the engine without any need whatsoever of either mode ofconstructing and of utilizing storage batremoving the old battery fromthe vehicle or lifttery transporting carts embodying the invention, ingthe good battery from its carrying position in may be had by referringto the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification,

wherein like reference characters designate the same or similar parts inthe two views.

Fig. 1 is a front and side perspective view of a typical batterytransporting and engine starting device embodying the invention andshowing the lower flexible conductors secured to the terminals of atypical battery seated within the supporting tray and the upper flexibleconductors inoperatively clamped to the insulated receiving posts, oneof the upper conductors being illustrated as disengaged from its post indot-anddash lines; and

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary part sectional view of the insulated handle andelongated current conducting elements associated therewith.

While the invention has been shown and described herein as beingembodied in a two-wheeled cart provided with a particular type ofbattery receiving and supporting tray having a single manipulatinghandle projecting upwardly at an angle therefrom :and adapted for usewith a particular type of storage battery in starting internalcombustion engines of automobiles or trucks, it is not desired orintended to unnecessarily restrict or limit the scope or utility of theimprovement by reason of such specific embodiment, and it is alsocontemplated that certain descriptive terms used herein be given thebroadest possible interpretation consistent with the disclosure.

Referring to the drawing, the improved battery cart comprises, ingeneral, a battery receiving and supporting member 5 having transportingwheels 6 associated therewith; a manipulating handle 7 formed of asuitable insulating material such as wood projecting upwardly from themember 5; and a pair of elongated current conducting elements 8 securedto the handle I in spaced relationship, each of the elements 8 beingprovided with flexible conductors or cables 9, H) at opposite endsthereof adapted to be connected respectively to a battery ll carried bythe member 5 andto an internal combustion engine, not shown.

The member '5 may be conveniently formed of sheet metal or othersuitable sheet material and is preferably in the nature of a rectangulartray or the like having end walls 12 and front and rear walls [3, Hirespectively within which the battery II is confined. The wheels 6 maybe of the ordinary disc type provided with pneumatic or semi-pneumatictires and journalled for rotation at opposite ends of an axle carried bythe member 5 near the 'rear wall 14 thereof, and a depending leg l5 ofany suitable construction is preferably provided for the member 5 nearthe front wall l3 thereof to support the member 5 in cooperation withthe wheels 6 when the cart is at rest as shown in Fig. 1. While thehandle I is shown as being formed of a single elongated piece of woodhaving rectangular cross-section, it may obviously be formed of othersuitable materials and of any desired shape; and it is convenientlydetachably secured at its low-er end to the rear wall It of the member 5by means of bolts I! or the like and projects upwardly and rearwardlyfrom the member 5 at an angle as shown, terminating at the upper end ina gripping portion l8. The elongated conducting elements 8 areprefer-ably in the form of metal plates which may be independentlysecured to the handle 1 intermediate the ends thereof by means of screwsl9 or the like, the plates 8 being disposed longitudinally of the handleI and preferably, but not necessarily, on opposite sides thereof. Toprovide means for securing the flexible conductors 9, ID to the elementsor plates 8,

each of these plates is provided with a lower projection or post 20 andan upper projection or post 2|; and as shown in detail in Fig. 2 each ofthe projections or terminal posts 2!], 2| are identical and preferablycomprise an outwardly projecting threaded shank 22 having an end head 23coacting with the adjacent plate 8 and em bedded within a recess 2 inthe handle I, with a lock washer 25 and nut 26 being secured on theshank 22 of each terminal post so as to maintain the same securely inposition on the respective plate 8. One end of each of the flexiblecables or conductors 9, it is provided with a suitable terminalconnector 21, 28 respectively adapted for reception on the shank 22 ofits respective terminal post and is finally secured thereto by means ofa suitable nut 29 having threaded c0- action with the shank 22; and theopposite free end of each of the conductors 9 is provided with the usualbattery terminal clamp or connector 30 while the free end of each of theconductors i0 is provided with a suitable clamp or clip 3| adapted forattachment to the battery or starting circuit of an internal combustionengine in a well known manner. To maintain the flexible conductors it ina neat and orderly manner during non-use of the improved device, meansare provided on the handle for receiving the free ends of theconductors, and such means is shown as consisting of a projection orpost 32 on each of the opposite sides of the handle 'i below theelements or plates 8 for receiving the clamps 3| of the conductors, theprojections 32 being also formed of insulating material or beinginsulated from each other and from the plates 8 for obvious reasons.

Alter the flexible conductors 9 have been secured to their respectivelower terminals 20 of the conductor plates 8 in an obvious manner andthe flexible conductors I0 have likewise been secured to theirrespective upper terminals 2! of the plates 8 in like manner with theaid of the nuts 29, a suitable storage battery it may be placed withinthe tray member 5 and the free ends of the conductors 9 clamped to theproper battery terminals with the aid of the terminal clamps 36 in aknown manner. The cart is then ready for operation, and when it isdesired to utilize the battery 1! in facilitating the starting of anautomobile or the like, it is only necessary to tilt the cart rearwardlyon its wheels 6 with the aid of the handle l and push :or pull the'sameto the stalled vehicle and to thereafter clamp the free ends of theconductors ii] to the battery or starting circuit of the engine with theaid of the clamps 3i, whereupon the engine may be started in the usualmanner with the aid of the ignition switch and starter. After thebattery H has served its purpose, the clamps 343 may be readily removedfrom the starting circuit of the engine and clamped to the respectiveprojections 32, as shown by full lines in Fig. 1, so as to preventtangling and knotting of the conductors ill, and the battery may remainin the tray 5 with: the conductors 9 attached thereto for re-use.

From the foregoing detailed description, it is believed apparent thatthe present invention provides an improved battery transporting cart andengine starting device which is extremely simple, compact and durable inconstruction as well as highly emcient and flexible in use andeconomical in both initial cost and upkeep. The various parts of theunit may be readily constructed of any suitable materials, and may bequickly and easily assembled as well as dismantled with the aid ofordinary tools. By constructing the handle 1 of Wood or other insulatingmaterial and separately securing the conductor plates 8 thereto, thecircuits are insulated from each other, thereby insuring maximum safetyin operation; and once the battery II has been placed in the tray 5 andproperly connected, it is not necessary to thereafter lift the samesince the current is conducted therefrom to the desired point throughthe respective flexible conductors 9, conductor plates 8, and flexibleconductors ID. The provision of the rigid conductor elements or plates 8on the handle provides a simple and compact assemblage whereby aconsiderable length of cable or conductor wire is eliminated and theclamp receiving projections 32 provide a convenient means formaintaining the flexible conductors in neat order at all times ofnon-use of the device. It is also contemplated that the manipulatingmeans 1 may consist of a pair of upwardly projecting members insulatedfrom each other for use also as the electrical conductors; and in eithercase, the handle or manipulating means, whether the same comprises oneor two uprights I, may serve the dual purpose of facilitating movementof the device and conducting the electrical current. Battery cartsconstructed in accordance with the invention have, in fact, provenhighly satisfactory and successful in actual use, and are capable ofbeing handled by a novice particularly to facilitate starting of cars inused car lots to thereby promote sales of the same.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit this inventionto the exact details of construction or to the precise mode of use andoperation herein shown and described, since various modifications withinthe scope of the appended claim may occur to persons skilled in the artto which this invention pertains.

I claim:

A battery transporting and engine starting cart comprising, a batteryreceiving and supporting 6 member, transporting wheels associated withsaid member, a manipulating handle formed of insulating material securedat its lower end to and projecting upwardly from said member, saidhandle terminating in an upper gripping portion, a pair of rigidelongated current conducting plates independently secured to anintermediate portion of said handle between and spaced from said batteryreceiving member and said gripping portion and extending longitudinallyon opposite sides of said handle in insulated relationship to eachother, each of said plates havin flexible conductors secured thereto atthe extreme lower and upper ends thereof, said lower conductors beingadapted for connection to a battery carried by said member and saidupper conductors being of at least the same length as said plates andbeing adapted for connection to an internal combustion engine, andlaterally projecting pins of insulating material carried by said handlebelow and beyond said rigid connecting plates and in insulatedrelationship thereto for receiving the free ends of said upper flexibleconnectors when they are not in use,

ALFRED E. MARQUARDT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 151,008 Rycraft Sept. 14, 19481,681,944 Marshall, Jr Aug. 28, 1928 1,751,902 Brown Mar. 25, 19301,970,091 Heyer Aug. 14, 1934 2,409,786 Norton Oct. 22, 1946 2,425,107Martin Aug. 5, 1947 OTHER REFERENCES Popular Science, December 1946,page 138.

